1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to machining and, in particular, to a method for machining a slot in a turbine engine rotor disk.
2. Background Information
In turbine engines such as gas turbine engines, fan blades, compressor blades and turbine blades are typically arranged circumferentially around respective rotor disks. Each blade may include a fir tree root connected to an airfoil. The fir tree root is inserted into a respective fir tree slot in the rotor disk in order to secure the blade to the rotor disk.
Various methods are known in the art for machining fir tree slots into a rotor disk. A slot may be machined into a rotor disk using, for example, super abrasive machining or milling methods. Prior art super abrasive machining and milling methods, however, typically utilize expensive, custom built cutting tools that are often subject to relatively long tool-workpiece contact lengths and relatively high specific material removal rates near the cutting tool tip.